Bottle shared by or given to me by Tmoney99. Pours a clear dark golden color with a small off white head. The aroma and flavor have spices, caramel, herbal notes, metallic character, thin, not much to get excited about.

I purchased a 32oz "growler" jug of this at my local Wegmans. I searched for Saranac Holiday Ale, which is how this beer was labeled. After some searching came up empty, I decided to rate the Holiday Ale on this entry. I’m figuring it’s probably the same recipe, just in different packaging and with a "new" name. The beer poured a dark brown color with a ruby red hue. The head was rather large and fluffy with a beige head. The head left some nice lacing most of the way down the glass. The nose features some cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and brown sugar. The flavors are quite festive with notes of allspice, graham crackers, cinnamon, caramel, ginger and some light hops. This is a decent holiday beer but nothing really too outstanding.

From 12 ounce bottle purchased as part of Saranac variety 12 pack at Delhi Walgreens, tasted on December 8, 2013. Medium gold hue, a lot of spice in aroma as would be expected from the name, flavor has some sweet spiciness but mostly unattractive bitterness and some sour notes. If this is Rudy’s "sweet treat" the commercial description says it is, then I’d hate to taste his purposely sabotaged swill.

Transfer from BA review on 12-1-13-
Poured from bottle into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a clear amber color with a one finger of pure white head. The head relatively quickly leaving a very light level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is mainly of a bready and malty smell mixed with some caramel sweetness. Along with these smells are some notes of spice, being mainly of a cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice smell.
Taste – The taste begins with a rather sweet and bready flavor with the sweet being mainly of a caramel taste and the bready having a slightly doughy flavor with some biscuit notes. Some spice flavors quickly come to the tongue, with a good deal of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice all present. The flavor seems to sweeten as the flavor advances, with it also gaining a doughier flavor at the expense of any biscuit. Some light fruit and citrus hop flavors then join the tongue at the end of the taste, leaving a rather sweet and malty, lightly hopped, and decently spiced flavor to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel –The body of the beer is on the medium side in terms of its thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is on the average side. The body and carbonation are a rather nice blend for the sweeter caramel and fruit flavors of the beer all while maintaining the spice, malt and lightly hopped flavors of the brew well.
Overall – A decent spiced holiday ale. Nothing super outstanding, but very drinkable. A good holiday party brew.

Aroma is christmas fart. Yes an off aroma with a whiff of Christmas spice. Taste is almost non existenet. Nice lasting head. With thin head light urine flavor overall not a good beer at all. Maybe due to being old?

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.
Appearance: It has a quick fading off white head over an orange amber body with a light haze.
Smell: I don’t get much here, just a light spiced maltiness.
Taste / Palate: There is a mild bready malt base with some dry spice notes like clove and coriander. I am also picking up a touch of bitter orange peel. It’s palate feels light and the finish is quick and somewhat boring.

12 ounce bottle, stamp on bottle says best before March 31, 2014. Got this bottle from a friend 2 weeks ago so I didn’t get a chance to try it fresh. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a clear copper color with about an inch off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both decent. Aroma is light but nice, the brew smells like caramel and toasted malt, and light sweet spices. I think the taste is the same as the aroma, but the flavors seems stronger in the taste as compared to the weak aroma. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it’s a bit coating with moderate carbonation. It’s not one of the better winter warmer/spiced ales I’ve had, it’s really low on the amount of spicing that’s in this brew. Not that it’s a bad beer, but I think it’s a Christmas ale that doesn’t have much kick to it. Maybe I’ll try it again next year if I can get a single somewhere.

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